Trent Hills.
Trent Hills is the Northumberland County municipality where the Trent-Severn Waterway runs through three river villages — Campbellford, Hastings, and Warkworth — and where the Ranney Gorge Suspension Bridge crosses the Trent River below Ranney Falls connecting Old Mill Park in Campbellford to Ferris Provincial Park's 198 hectares and roughly 10 km of gorge-edge trails. Five Parks Canada lockstations sit inside the boundary: the Lock 11/12 flight at Ranney Falls and Lock 13 at Campbellford, Locks 16/17 at Healey Falls, and Lock 18 at Hastings.
The Trans Canada Trail follows the river corridor between Hastings and Campbellford, and the Northumberland County concession-road grid carries low-traffic road cycling out into farmland between the three villages. Most of it is a short drive from Peterborough or a few hours east of Toronto via the Highway 401 / Highway 30 corridor.
Today's read.
Real-time conditions updated; AI field notes unavailable.
On the record.
Every claim sourced. Click through to the original.
- 01The Ranney Gorge Suspension Bridge spans the Trent River below Ranney Falls, connecting Old Mill Park in Campbellford to Ferris Provincial Park.Source ↗
- 02Ferris Provincial Park is a 198-hectare day-use park on the Trent River below Ranney Falls with about 10 km of trails.Source ↗
- 03The Trent-Severn Waterway is a 386-kilometre Parks Canada–operated heritage canal between Trenton on Lake Ontario and Port Severn on Georgian Bay; the Lock 11/12 Ranney Falls flight and Lock 13 at Campbellford, Locks 16/17 at Healey Falls, and Lock 18 at Hastings are within Trent Hills.Source ↗
- 04Campbellford's "Toonie" sculpture in Old Mill Park honours the local artist who designed the polar-bear reverse of the Canadian two-dollar coin.Source ↗
6. activities
worth your time
Hiking
Ferris Provincial Park carries about 10 km of trails on 198 hectares along the Trent River gorge below Ranney Falls, with the Ranney Gorge Suspension Bridge crossing the Trent at the park's western edge to Old Mill Park in Campbellford. The Trans Canada Trail's Trent Hills segment runs the rail corridor between Hastings and Campbellford for an easier flat-grade option, and the gorge-edge loops in Ferris are the closest thing to a destination day hike inside the municipality.
Read field guide arrow_outwardWalking & Strolling
Three village waterfronts and Old Mill Park anchor the walking. In Campbellford, Old Mill Park sits at the foot of the Ranney Gorge Suspension Bridge with the "Toonie" sculpture honouring the local artist who designed the polar-bear reverse of the Canadian two-dollar coin. Hastings Waterfront Park runs along the Trent River beside Lock 18, and Warkworth's heritage village main street threads a compact pre-Confederation streetscape that hosts the Maple Syrup Festival in late March.
Read field guide arrow_outwardCycling
The Trans Canada Trail / Great Trail's Trent Hills segment follows the Trent River corridor between Hastings and Campbellford on a flat former rail-trail surface — the easiest entry to long-distance riding inside the municipality. Beyond the trail, the Northumberland County concession-road grid carries low-traffic rural cycling between the three villages and out to Warkworth across rolling farmland, with paved-shoulder county roads connecting south to Brighton and Highway 401.
Read field guide arrow_outwardPaddling — Flatwater
The Trent River between locks is the spine of the regional paddling, with put-ins at Hastings, Healey Falls, Crowe Bay, and Campbellford on protected flatwater between the lock-and-dam structures. The Crowe River and Crowe Bay extend the network east through the Lower Trent watershed, and downstream of Hastings Lock 18 the river opens into the Rice Lake reach. Through-paddling between locks requires planning around the Trent-Severn Waterway navigation calendar, since locks operate on a published Parks Canada season.
Read field guide arrow_outwardSailing & Boating
Trent Hills sits on the Trent-Severn Waterway, the 386 km Parks Canada heritage canal between Lake Ontario at Trenton and Georgian Bay at Port Severn. Five lockstations sit inside the boundary — the Lock 11/12 flight at Ranney Falls and Lock 13 at Campbellford, Locks 16/17 at Healey Falls, and Lock 18 at Hastings — and Campbellford and Hastings both operate municipal marinas. Through-cruising between the Bay of Quinte and Lake Simcoe passes the village waterfronts directly, and locking through is on a published Parks Canada navigation-season schedule.
Read field guide arrow_outwardHeritage & Culture
The Trent-Severn Waterway is a federally designated heritage canal, and the lockstations at Ranney Falls (Lock 11/12), Campbellford (Lock 13), Healey Falls (Locks 16/17), and Hastings (Lock 18) anchor the regional heritage offering. Old Mill Park in Campbellford carries the "Toonie" sculpture honouring the local artist who designed the polar-bear reverse of the two-dollar coin; Empire Cheese keeps a long-running cheese factory in the Campbellford area; and Warkworth's heritage village hosts the Maple Syrup Festival in late March and a long-running studio-tour scene.
Read field guide arrow_outward13. more outings
surveyed.
Activities supported across Trent Hills without a featured write-up.
- 01
Trail Running
Ferris Provincial Park trails - 02
Camping
frontcountry - 03
Nature & Discovery
birding · nature-interpretation - 04
Swimming & Beach
lake-swim - 05
Freshwater Fishing
walleye · smallmouth-bass · muskie - 06
Cross-Country & Nordic
classic-xc - 07
Snow Adventure
snowshoeing - 08
Seasonal Phenomena
fall-colours - 09
Wildlife Viewing
raptor-eagle - 10
Motorized Touring
scenic-drive - 11
Food & Drink
farmers-market · sugar-shack-maple - 12
Geology & Discovery
Ranney Gorge limestone exposures (visible from Suspension Bridge) - 13
Arts & Craft
artist-studio-tour
Local operators.
Trusted outfitters, guides, and experience providers in Trent Hills.
Averegan Alpacas
Private alpaca tours (hand-feeding, photos, education), guided alpaca trekking
Visit website arrow_outwardEastern Ontario Birding
Guided birding tours including Presqu'ile Provincial Park
Visit website arrow_outwardHaute Goat Farm
18-hole disc golf course & tournaments, goat yoga, farm experiences & events, animal interactions
Visit website arrow_outward